Protesters' group plan crowdfunding to sue police

A group of anti-extradition bill protesters, who claim they have suffered from police abuse, have launched a crowdfunding campaign to raise HK$10 million to sue officers.

In a press conference held on Thursday, the group said they are hoping to help at least 10 people launch civil cases seeking claims for their alleged suffering.

At the media briefing, six people gave accounts as to how they had been treated by officers. They included Ng Ying-mo, who was shot with a rubber bullet in the stomach during the June 12 protests in Admiralty.

His daughter, Frances, said the police continued to beat her father even after he was shot and subdued. He was sent to a police station afterwards and moved to a hospital only three hours after the arrest, she alleged.

Frances said father's account may not be an isolated case and they felt the need to come out and help others who feel they suffered at the hands of the police.

She said the group is standing up for those people and want to bring justice to them.

The others who spoke to the media include a man, surnamed Lam, who said he suffered bone fractures to his left hand when he was pushed to the ground by suspected undercover officers in Causeway Bay on August 11.

He said he had insisted he wanted to go to hospital upon his arrest, but officers said he needed to be sent to the police station first and he was only treated by doctors in North District Hospital five and half hours later.

The group also plan to use the funds raised through their “Sue the Abuser” campaign to back judicial reviews filed over the lack of visible identification of frontline police officers.

Three of the alleged victims filed applications for judicial reviews on Tuesday over the non-display of ID by some policemen, saying this has made it difficult to file complaints against officers who use excessive force.

The campaign is being helped by the League of Social Democrats which has offered to lend its bank account to the group for their crowdfunding.